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©Oliver Haas
©Alessandro Zannoni
©Gabriele Gmeiner
©Alessandro Zannoni

Gabriele Gmeiner

  • Shoemaker
  • Venice, Italy
  • Master Artisan
Gabriele Gmeiner Shoemaker
Contact
Italian, English, French, German
Hours:
Monday to Friday 09:00 - 13:00/14:00 - 15:30
Phone:
+39 3388962189
©Oliver Haas

The shoe sculptor

  • • Gabriele makes no more than 100 pairs of shoes a year
  • • She only uses naturally tanned leather from Europe
  • • Foot measurements are taken both sitting and standing

Austrian-born Gabriele Gmeiner left her hometown at 19 to follow her dream of becoming a shoemaker. First she graduated at the Cordwainers College in London and then specialised in Paris at the CFT de L’Abbee Gregoire. Her perambulations led her to Venice, where she decided to settle down and open her own workshop. “I was attracted by art,” she explains, “and I wanted to create sculptures. But I preferred to work in the applied arts, so I chose shoemaking. Much more important than any accessory or garment, shoes are the foundation of the modern migrant man. They affect not only our basic wellbeing, but also the movement and posture of our body. Even today, I feel like an artist when I carve my custom made wooden lasts.”

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©Gabriele Gmeiner
  • ©Bevilacqua
  • ©Gabriele Gmeiner
  • ©All rights reserved
  • ©All rights reserved
Photo: ©Gabriele Gmeiner
Ladies Boots

These knee-high women’s boots have a soft upper tight fit, a zip inside for the instep and a fine built-up heel. The pair of boots have been handcrafted from shrunk tanned baby-calf leather. The boots have been coloured with discreate a dark green tone.

Height 49 cm
Height 4.5 cm

Photo: ©Bevilacqua
Pumps

This pair of handcrafted pumps, made from a single cut piece of fabric, are hand woven from silk velvet with alligator pattern and fitted with corded silk bow tie. The sole, heel and reinforcements are all made with vegetable tanned leather by Joh. Rendenbach.

Height 2.8 cm

Photo: ©Gabriele Gmeiner
Ladies sling-back sandals

These ladies sling-back sandals are fitted with a buckle for fastening the belt on the instep. The soles are stuck-on to a hidden welt. The wedge heels are built from natural cork and stuck-onto the sandals. The sole, heel and reinforcements are all made with vegetable tanned leather by Joh. Rendenbach.

Height 4.5 cm

Photo: ©All rights reserved
Oxford bent seams

This pair of plain Oxford shoes is handcrafted from dark brown box calf Anilveau. The sole, heel and reinforcements are all made with vegetable tanned leather by Joh. Rendenbach.

Height 2.5 cm

Photo: ©All rights reserved
Derby

This pair of light brown Derby shoes with straight toe, made from box-calf Anilveau, has been fitted with four pairs of holes for lacing. The sole, heel and reinforcements are all made with vegetable tanned leather by Joh. Rendenbach.

Height 2.8 cm

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